Fresh off of the success of the anime’s first season, and a second season coming sometime in 2020, The Promised Neverland will get a live-action film slated for winter 2020. Originally published in 2016 by Kaiu Shirai and Posuka Demizu, The Promised Neverland follows orphans Emma, Norman, and Ray, as they learn that their lives at the Grace Field House orphanage aren’t as idyllic as they appear. Trapped in a race against time and dangerous outside forces, the three must work together to save not only their siblings but themselves as well.
Noriko Gouto is on board as the film’s scriptwriter. The main cast so far consists of Minami Hamabe (anohana, Saki, Hello World) as Emma, Jyo Kairi (Erased, My Little Monster) as Ray, and Rihito Itagaki (Show By Rock!!) as Norman.
The only narrative change so far between the manga/anime and the live-action film is that the age that the characters get shipped out has been changed from 12 to 16. The change in itself is odd, considering that the main actor, Jyo Kairi, is 13. I suppose it could have been made in order to ensure a solid performance from major actors or to spare any younger actors from harrowing scenes. It remains to be seen if this narrative change will have any influence on the success of the acting or the film itself.
As the manga continues into its final arc, I wonder how far the movie will go narratively. Will it stick with the first arc in order to draw in new fans and entertain the old? Will it align with the second season of the anime, so that fans that aren’t reading the manga will be caught up either way? I doubt it’ll summarize the entire series, as most anime-related films tend to split the series into several movies. Either way, I’m looking forward to the movie as a whole, as The Promised Neverland is a truly enjoyable series.
Source: Anime News Network
